Lalu trying to re-invent himself through Parivartan Rally

Ajay Kumar

Patna,(BiharTimes): Now a days, RJD chief Lalu Yadav is literally on road in sizzling summer of Bihar to mobilize masses particularly in rural areas to attract people to the forthcoming “Parivartan Rally” (Rally for Change) to be held on May 15 in Patna. There is just one motive: to see to it that the Nitish government is dethroned.

Earlier, he had organized mammoth rallies in Patna su

ch as Garib Rally, Lathi Rally, Chetavani Rally etc but since losing his power in the state and later at Centre he is organizing first such show.

The Gandhi Maidan rally is politically very significant due to a host of reasons shaping the contours of politics in the state where once this Mandal icon––after the resurgence of intermediary caste dominant politics––was at the helm of affairs for 15 long years though with the help of his wife Rabri Devi.

Lalu is fighting the last ditch battle of his career for his political resurrection, obviously keeping in mind the forthcoming parliamentary election of 2014 and state Assembly election in 2015.

This exercise would definitely help in galvanizing his party workers who felt demoralized after consecutive defeats in all elections after 2005. At the same time it would also serve as political barometer to gauge the political relevance of the party particularly when clear-cut fissure is emerging in the relationship of ruling partners JD(U) and BJP.

Poltical analysts too feel that Lalu is more worried to protect his traditional social constituencies as Nitish is moving ahead to woo minorities who constitute almost 16.5 per cent votes in the state. If he succeeds even partially it would be disastrous for the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) led by Lalu Yadav.

For the first time his two sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap are also making whirlwind tours to different parts of the state and their photos are appearing in many billboards and hoardings. It speaks how Lalu is going ahead to pass on party baton to his gen-next taking a cue from another Samajwadi leader Mulayam Singh Yadav.

His arch political rival Nitish Kumar takes his rally in lighter vein and termed it as an effort to transfer leadership, obliviously referring for kinship promotion.

However, senior RJD leader Alok Kumar Mehta counters by stating: “Our party is the only party with young leaders who can connect with gen-next. So we have scored over other political parties of the state and huge participation of youth would definitely help the party reach out to youths.”

People of Bihar didn’t have good experience of earlier rallies of Lalu. Lumpen elements often took the lead and at many places people were virtually forced to be inside their houses. Bar dancers used to regale the participants of the rally in the bungalows for ministers and MLAs.

“Perhaps Lalu has missed the political agenda and he didn’t have any alternative model of governance. So he is facing crisis of credibility and frustration. Its very difficult to trust him and his his mal-governance of 15 long years is still afresh in their mind,” quipped Neeraj Kumar, spokesperson of JD(U).
But Lalu is conscious of changed situation and has asked his supporters not to bring in bar dancers to perform during the rally. “Log ghar se apna khane ka saman––sattu chura, thekua––lete ayenge. (People would bring their own food) We will keep a watch on anti-social element."

No doubt Lalu was the firebrand leader of the social justice era but failed to cope up in a changed situation particularly when politics shifted to new paradigms led by a different model of development.

With political marginalization Lalu too has realized that the political grammar of the state politics has changed and it’s high time to change himself and the party and has come out with new strategy to win over the lost confidence of the people of the state and politics of inclusiveness has taken front seat. In a competitive politics, political parties and their leaders have to meet the expectation of masses otherwise it hardly takes time to become irrelevant.